Mumbai: Law student Zen Sadavarte, who sent an application to the police for a complaint against a woman after she took on BJP workers for causing a traffic jam, is the daughter of lawyer and former Big Boss Contestant Gunaratna Sadavarte, a man known for getting involved in issues which are in the political spotlight like the MSRTC union strike and supporting the OBC position against the Maratha reservation stir. However, in this case, there’s an outpouring of support for the woman who took on the minister, with many citizens accusing Sadavarte of being a proxy of BJP and indulging in revenge politics. “Irony died a thousand deaths. The BJP was protesting in Mumbai for women’s empowerment. A woman lashed out against the traffic jam. The BJP mocked her and now a police case has been filed against her. She was only claiming what was rightfully hers – the roads of Mumbai,” said Supriya Shrinate from the Congress on X. Mumbai Congress spokesperson Sureshchandra Rajhans said cases should be registered against BJP leaders who participated in the rally. He also claimed that the BJP got permission for the rally in two days while Congress rally permissions are given after eight days. “As expected, a case has been filed against the brave woman who stood up to the BJP by the daughter of Gunaratna Sadavarte, a BJP-affiliated lawyer who is the poster-child for “fake citizen concerns.” The sheer arrogance of those in power should disgust you and me,” said Anish Gawande, NCP (SP) spokesperson. “Sadavarte is a pro-BJP lawyer who is well-known for his “false pretexts” to move court when the BJP can’t do so,” said Ruben Mascerenhas from AAP. “Imagine how rattled the powers that be are against a single woman who stood up to the BJP’s blockading of roads in Mumbai,” he added. Social activist Vijay Kumbhar said on X, “Stop this shameless bullying! Filing a complaint against that brave woman is pure arrogance. A citizen stood up and asked questions to minister Girish Mahajan while his selfish protest choked Mumbai’s traffic for hours. Instead of apologising, they are harassing her?” He added, “Citizens are the real owners of this country. We have every right to ask questions. Politicians are public citizens and must respect citizens’ comfort, not cause trouble to them.“ Urban planner Bhaumik Gowande said on X, “Are you telling me that they filed a complaint against that legendary Mumbai woman who protested for her for her rights at a women’s rights protest? This is how we empower Nari Shakti by empowering women’s voices! Pathetic!” “This was nothing but a desperate publicity stunt designed to bully a common citizen and mislead the public with a false narrative. If you only spent as much energy fixing the city’s traffic as you do staging these legal dramas, maybe the people wouldn’t be so angry,” said Shraddha on X. (With input from Ishaan Thadikaren)
